Meaningless words
by Kathryn Elizabeth
Summary: J/c,
1. Default Chapter

Meaningless Words.   
  
Summer 2000.  
  
By Kathryn Elizabeth  
  
  
  
  
Part One.  
  
Disclaimer:   
  
All the characters of Voyager belong to Paramount. I am simply giving them a whirl!!!!  
  
  
Kathryn Janeway felt tired, hot and bothered, she prayed silently to herself, as she entered the empty turbolift, that tonight there would be no ship-wide disaster, or urgent engineering emergency that need her attention. Because, if she were quite honest with herself, she would ignore it anyway in the mood she was in. She had worked for too many hours, on too little food and virtually no sleep. Even she could see that she needed to rest, for at least the next twelve hours, and if she could manage it, possibly even eighteen.  
  
The Captain turned around in the turbolift, about to order it to take her to her quarters, when she saw her first officer come towards the lift. Although she was about to go off duty, (which to her meant lean against the turbolift wall as it closed the doors and begin to take her to the haven of her bed) she told the lift to hold the doors open, and the commander walked inside, the doors closing behind him. "Officer's quarters" both order the turbolift simultaneously, and they both give a small giggle. "What are your plans for this evening, Captain?" asks the handsome first officer.  
"To go to bed!" Captain Janeway replies, "It's been a long week, and I have a lot of relaxation to catch up on!"  
"Well, I suppose you wouldn't accept a dinner invitation then?" Asks Commander Chakotay, somewhat jokingly.  
"It depends upon who is asking, my first officer, or my best friend!" Says Kathryn, teasing Chakotay.  
"Well, the commander is off duty- as the Captain ought to be, so I guess it's boring old Chakotay!"  
"In that case, I accept the kind offer of dinner!" As she says this, she begins to fiddle around with her hair, and all of a sudden, it comes out of the French twist it had been in and delicately falls around her face. " I suppose, if the Captain is off duty, she can let her hair down!"  
  
Chakotay had preferred her hair long, but it was very pretty this way, and far more practical he supposed. He was pleased she had taken to wearing it up again, it looked more captain-like that way, and then when she was off duty, she wore it down. It was almost as if she were giving a physical signal to show if she were on or off duty. It certainly helped him to gauge how he should approach her- business, or friends.  
"How about, 8.00 in the mess hall?" Chakotay suggests. That gave her at least an hour to shower and change, and deal with anything else.  
"Sure!" She smiles, "That would be great". It is at this point the turbolift terminates and opens it's doors, allowing the passengers to go their separate ways.  
  
At the duly appointed hour of 8.00, both officers, or should I say friends, arrive outside the mess hall doors and spot each other and laugh.  
"We really ought to stop meeting like this, Commander!"  
"I know, one of us should stop being punctual!" Chakotay says this as a joke. He is always on time, he knows Kathryn hates tardiness, and she is always on time for that reason. Both officers enter the mess hall together to be greeted by a characteristically jovial Neelix.  
"Captain! Commander! So nice to see you! I assume you are eating..."  
"Yes, Neelix. We want the best table in the house, please!" Said Kathryn going along with Neelix's little game. Neelix leads them to a table at the far end of the mess hall, in the corner by the window. Janeway sits facing the star-field. She always does this, she loves being able to see the stars, it gives her a feeling of familiarity, even in the most alien of situations. Chakotay sits with his back to the star-field without comment or hesitation, waiting for Kathryn to sit before he does. Once they are sitting and have told Neelix what they would like (he loves playing waiter to his Captain!) he bustles away from the table, allowing them to talk   
"You look lovely this evening, Kathryn" And indeed she does. Her hair is loose, tumbling to just above her shoulders, swept to one side, in her usual fashion. She is wearing the merest hint of make-up, a sort of purple eye shadow and mascara, with a red lipstick. The clothes she wears he does not recognise- she must have replicated them new this evening. She wears a purple dress/tunic, with an unusual hem, that is like the tunics Kes used to wear, with matching purple trousers and purple high-heeled shoes. It really suits her.  
"Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself!" again, this is true. He is wearing a pair of simple black trousers, with a white shirt, a few of the top buttons undone to reveal a toned chest. He looks very handsome.  
  
The two enjoy their meal very greatly. Neelix has put on a feast, that is for once not only edible, but actually very tasty! The conversation is comfortable and relaxed. After their meal they decide to go to the holodeck for a while.  
  
"You choose what we do" He knows she likes that, and if the truth be known, he likes to be surprised, and she always manages to do that!  
"I want to go dancing, can you dance?"  
"Well, I used to do some- what sort of dancing?" He replies, very surprised.   
"Rock and roll, jive, that sort of thing."  
"Well, it's been a while, but sure, why not/"  
"Great, I have the perfect place to go."  
  
  



	2. Meaningless Words Part Two.

Meaningless Words  
  
Part two.  
  
Disclaimer, the same as part one, everything belongs to Paramount, except my storyline. And Dirty Dancing belongs to whoever owns Dirty Dancing, I guess.  
  
Kathryn programmed the computer to take them to an outside dance floor from the film "Dirty Dancing". If you had sent eh 20th century film you would know what I was talking about. For those not in the know, it is a dance floor underneath a big umbrella gazebo, with fairy lights strung up around it. Needless to say, it is beautiful, and set in a beautiful mountainside scene. It was dusk when Chakotay and Kathryn walk into the holodeck.   
"This is wonderful!" Chakotay exclaims. He is truly shocked that Kathryn could find such a beautiful place so quickly and easily on the database. "How did you find this place?"  
"It's from a film, my mother, sister and I used to watch." Kathryn felt a pang of homesickness as she says this. She misses their girly nights.  
"You miss them very much, don't you?"  
"yes" She smiles sadly at him. How come she could never hide what she was feeling from him? It was alarming for her to admit she couldn't shroud her emotions in secrecy from him. He was simply too perceptive. It was part of his great empathy for all living creatures. "We all miss people from back home though, and I can't wallow in self-pity"  
"You don't, Kathryn", he couldn't believe he was hearing that from her of all people. "You are allowed to miss them, and you should talk about it sometimes. Even if you can't share your grief with anyone else, you can always share it with me. I hop you know that." At this he hugs her and she gratefully accepts the gesture, allowing herself for a few moments to sink into his embrace.  
  
Suddenly, while they embrace, the band on the stage begins to play. It is a very fast tune.  
"Shall we?" Chakotay asks. They dance. In fact they dance for hours. Not always with each other, but also with the holo-characters, but always they have one eye on each other. At the point we leave them that evening, we see Chakotay staring at Kathryn, who is dancing with the holographic dance teacher. He is mesmerised, and has a wide smile gracing his handsome face.  



	3. Meaningless Words Part Three

Meaningless Words  
  
Part three  
  
  
Chakotay was impressed with Kathryn's dancing. But he shouldn't have been surprised she was good at it. She was good at everything.  
"How do you get to be so good at everything?" He asked Kathryn on the way back to her quarters after their dancing session.  
"Pardon?" she replied, genuinely puzzled.  
"Well, you seem to be excellent at everything you put your hand to." He didn't mean it with any bitterness, but she seemed to misunderstand his tone of voice and was projecting bitterness into what he said.  
"What do you mean by that?" She said this defensively.  
  
Chakotay at this point was wary of an argument and so said, "I think you misunderstand me." He gave her a gentle smile "It was supposed to be a compliment."  
"Oh, sorry, it's just that people have always said that sort of thing to me in a disparaging way, no one has ever meant it as a compliment I don't think." He had successfully managed to diffuse a potentially awkward situation and Kathryn felt that she didn't want to let him go yet, she wanted him to come in for a drink, so she said as much.  
  
"You know, I still want an answer to my question earlier!" He was really joking, but on the other hand he was also truly interested. He believed that a person could only be known through their faults and mistakes, and in Kathryn's case her faults were embodied as far as he could tell in what she couldn't do or understand.  
"I'm sorry about that earlier. I am a little touchy."  
"Probably overwork!" They both laugh at this. Kathryn gets a little more sombre after this, however.  
"Seriously though, I am not good at everything, it's just that I have learnt not to demonstrate my lack of skill in things I am not good at."  
"So, what are you not good at!" He had a plan!  
"I don't know if I should tell you that. As far as the crew are concerned, I am invincible! And even if I did tell you I would probably have to kill you!" she is joking.  
"But I am not any old member of the crew!" As he says this, Kathryn grows serious again.  
"No, you're not." She almost looks sad. "In some ways I wish you were, it would make things easier on me emotionally. But I wouldn't ever want to lose your friendship now I have it. It's too precious for me to lose it now."  
  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
  



	4. Meaningless Words Part Four

Meaningless Words  
  
Part Four.  
  
  
  
Harry Kim was bored. His bridge shift seemed never ending and there was absolutely nothing happening. Apart from routine breakdowns and requests. The Ops-station was probably the most busy station on the bridge, but even Harry was bored today. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing. It meant the crew could have some well deserved time off, and if he weren't stuck doing a duty shift, Harry would be enjoying the quiet too. He placated his restlessness with the knowledge that he only had another 30 minutes to go.  
  
The Captain entered the bridge at the point he was thinking this, and he followed her route from past his station to her chair. As she entered the Commander stood and turned to greet her, with the smile Harry knew was saved especially for her. Tom was convinced that there was something going on between them, but Harry wasn't so sure. Their attraction to each other was obvious, but he didn't think that Kathryn Janeway would ever have an affair with her first officer. She would be too worried about her relationship with him professionally.  
  
Little did Harry know, but he had hit the nail on the head. Much to Chakotay's sadness and frustration. On new Earth, Captain Janeway, had come close to letting him in, but protocol surrounded her every move on Voyager. She couldn't let her precious protocol go. He didn't care if she slept with him, but he wanted to be her friend at least, to be able to comfort her when she needed it, and congratulate her when it was appropriate.  
  
She looked beautiful today he thought. As she came on to the bridge he could not help but smile at her.  
"Commander"  
"Captain, I was wondering if you had a moment"  
"Certainly, please, join me in my ready room." The two walk across the bridge, and into her sanctuary.  
"Is anything wrong Chakotay?"  
"Not at all, I just wondered if you wanted to join me for dinner again this evening." She looks mildly surprised, but breaks into one of her rare full smiles.  
"I would love to!" She smiles again, "I am off duty officially in fifteen minutes, but I want to have a word with Ensign Kim first, so 8.00 in the mess hall?"  
"Sounds perfect. I'll send Mister Kim in?"  
"Yes, please."  
  
Harry was surprised when he looked up to find the Commander standing in front of him, he had been engrossed in a report for the Captain, he planned to give it to her before the end of his shift.  
"Ensign, the Captain would like to speak with you in her ready room." Harry grew confused at this point. The Captain very rarely spoke to him alone.  
"Yes, Commander, I will join her immediately."  
  
When Harry entered the ready room, the first thing he noticed was the smell of coffee and roses. The ready room always smelt like this, and he loved it. The Captain always had fresh roses on the coffee table and a cup of coffee next to her on the desk.  
"Ensign, thank you for joining me. I assume that is your weekly report?" She said, gesturing to the pad Harry had in his hand.  
"Yes, Captain." He passes the padd over to her. Unusually she simply puts the padd down on the table straight away, rather than skim read it in his presence.  
"Harry, please, sit down." He sits, "I wanted to ask you a favour"  
"Yes, Captain?" He is wary.  
"I want you to try and include seven in the evening activities on Voyager. I am worried about the lack of interaction between her and the crew"  
"Is that all Captain?"  
"Yes, thank you Ensign." It was a dream job!! He had been ordered to entertain the woman of his dreams! Tom would be green with envy...  



	5. Meaningless Words Part Five

Meaningless Words   
  
Part Five.  
  
  
"What's your pasta like?" Chakotay asked.  
"Lovely, try some?" Chakotay is taken aback, but nods and digs his fork into the food on her plate, he drops some of the pasta before it gets to his plate and Kathryn laughs at him, and he looks suitably embarrassed and picks it up with his fingers.  
"Mmmmm, it's good!" He joins in her laughter.  
  
In the mess hall, on a table in the corner, B'Elanna and Tom watch the commanding officers. Tom is assuming things he ought not to be assuming.  
"They are getting on very well, sharing food no less!"  
"Oh, come on, Tom. He just wanted to try her pasta!" However, B'Elanna knew perfectly well that he hated Neelix's hair pasta.  
"Come off it B! You know as well as I do, he hates that pasta!" Suddenly there is a movement beside their table and Neelix pops out of nowhere.  
"Who hates my hair pasta?" Tom, not wanting to cause a ship-wide disaster tries to placate Neelix,  
"No one hates your pasta Neelix!"  
"But, you just said..."  
"He was lying Neelix, everyone loves your pasta!" Says B'Elanna, cottoning on to Tom's efforts.  



End file.
